What Sort of Leader Are You?
(And What To Do About It)

A leader is someone who will take you somewhere you would not have got to on your own.

Leaders have power over others. Some are given their power, some have crafted it carefully during their careers and others have always had it. Leaders have only five sources of power: position; intelligence; charisma; experience and physical presence. In proper proportion, they can be combined to create charming and effective leaders. Out of proportion, you can find a monster in charge of your business.

A political leader is the person with the power, the guy in charge. She may or may not have any other endearing characteristics, but what she says goes, or you do. If all they have is authority, without the smarts, the charm and the courage that you need in business, to make a business a success, the chances are the business isn't going anywhere. Having the power alone is the least valuable attribute of leadership.

An intellectual leader sees solutions to things. They are the people who have the ideas. They may or may not have much political power, so a good political leader makes sure they know who these people are, and they encourage, empower and include them in the leadership of the business.

A charismatic leader often has a lot of emotional intelligence. You will often find this in organisational leaders of corporations, because emotional intelligence, combined with the right level of political savvy, is essential to get on in a corporate environment. They empathise and enthuse, network and build strong and enduring relationships in all directions around them, but particularly up.

An experiential leader, speaks with authority because he has been there and done it. He knows what to do and what not to do. He understands the pitfalls and what to avoid. Experience helps you understand what level of information you need to reduce risk and make better decisions. A leader with experience is formidable.

A physical leader is visible and courageous. They will take risks with precious things, like their careers, that perhaps others may not. They lead by acting rather than talking, and people like it. It is often what you do as a leader that people really take notice of, not what you say. Being committed to a policy, or a course of action in your business, means nothing unless you put time in your diary.

So, what sort of leader are you? One of these types will be dominant in you. If you don't know, ask the honesty leader in your company, because they will tell you.

If your power comes primarily from your position in the organisation, you may find yourself surrounded with people more able to come up with solutions, to motivate people and to take calculated business risks than you are. You have a choice, get a copy of "The Prince", by Machiavelli, or enrol the intellectual, charismatic, and physical leaders in your organisation into your team.

If your power comes from your intellectual leadership, you may find that you will be more successful and happier working in a smaller organisation, or on your own, selling your ideas and expertise. If not, you need to find a political leader who is short on ideas, to ally yourself with.

If your power comes primarily from your charm, hang on in there; it may just be enough to win you political power. You will probably find that the political leader likes you anyway. Don't most people?

If your power comes predominantly from experience, you have a valuable knowledge base that can provide you with great leverage. You can trade it, like a commodity, for other things, because it will be widely valued.

If it's a physical thing, you also need a fair degree of intellectual leadership to make headway, to persuade the political leader to take the risk. Without it, you may be seen more as a liability than an asset.

The top job in any company is a role with both practical and symbolic significance. Leaders carry the can; they get moved on to signal dissatisfaction, or to signpost change. Sometimes, if they are lucky, or very, very, good, they also get the rewards. It can also make you feel isolated. Leadership can be a demanding and lonely affliction, particularly if you haven't asked for it.

The aim of every organisation is to appoint a schizophrenic leader into the top job. They want a leader with experience, who can motivate when they have to, come up with, or at least recognise, a good idea, be prepared to take a few risks and use their power wisely to create wealth and success.

So, my tip to every aspiring business leader is a simple one, if you don't have a split leadership personality, acquire one or don't apply, because otherwise it will only end in tears.

Which sort of leader are you? (And what are you going to do about it?)